- This page is about the movie. For the Taylor Caldwell novel, see The Devil's Advocate; for the Morris West novel, see The Devil's Advocate; for the catholic term see Devil's Advocate.
The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 drama movie directed by Taylor Hackford and based on a 1990 novel by Andrew Neiderman.
This title is a reference to the idiom "Devil's Advocate" and the character of John Milton is named after the author of Paradise Lost (see John Milton). The movie has some minor allusions to the Milton book, for example, the famous quote "better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven," and the concentric fiery circles of hell as described in Dante's Inferno are included at the end of the movie.
Cast
- Kevin Lomax – Keanu Reeves
- John Milton – Al Pacino
- Mary Ann Lomax – Charlize Theron
- Eddie Barzoon – Jeffrey Jones
- Alice Lomax – Judith Ivey
- Christabella Andreoli – Connie Nielsen
Plot
Template:SpoilerHotshot Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax has never lost a case, even though many of his clients are not innocent. After winning what appears to be an unwinnable case defending an apparently guilty schoolteacher of child molestation, he is invited to leave his small Florida town and join the huge New York law firm led by John Milton. Milton, a massively charismatic and highly regarded man, becomes Lomax's mentor, pushing him towards arrogance and greed. Meanwhile, Lomax's wife Mary Ann starts descending into schizophrenia as she feels lost and abandoned by her husband, a state which is partially, if not entirely, induced by other "employees" of Milton's firm.
The story unfolds as John Milton is found to be the devil and Kevin Lomax his son. Milton dismisses the Biblical information that indicates that the Devil will lose Armageddon, and wants to Lomax to join him and fellow law partner Christabella Andreoli, who turns out to be Lomax's sister, in a familial union that requires him to produce the Antichrist with Andreoli. Lomax rejects his heritage when he commits suicide and ends Milton's plans.
Lomax is then returned to the past, at the moment when, in the small Florida town, he is mulling over his options while in the courtroom bathroom before successfully defending the aforementioned child molester. It is revealed that the movie had been a flash of conscience for Lomax or, as a more interesting possibility, an even most elaborate mind-game of manipulation played on him by the devil (who confesses repeatedly during the movie that vanity is his favorite sin). John Milton subsequently shows himself in another guise and begins his plotting once again, this time with more subtlety. According to the director, Taylor Hackford (director's commentary audio track), it can also be seen as a second chance of redeeming his soul, since Lomax bested the devil in his own game.
Legal problems
The film was the subject of legal action following its release. The claim was that the sculpture featuring human forms in John Milton's office closely resembled that on the facade of a New York cathedral. It was found in favour of the cathedral sculptor. The studio was forced to limit the number of copies of the original version of film released to Video, DVD and laser disc, and also to place a notice on all versions explicitly stating there was no implied or intended connection.
The film was then digitally altered to remove the human forms from the sculptures. This new version is the one on all DVD and Video releases except the original batch, and also the new version is the only one on television screenings.
Resemblances
The film's storyline resembles that of That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis, where a scientific institution (the N.I.C.E.) is changed to a law firm, and a young philologist is changed to a young laywer (Kevin Lomax). Of course, in the novel by Lewis, devil never has a human appearance, instead of it using other ways to communicate with his subordinate humans.
External links
